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Introduction
Can you imagine yourself living in a world with only horizontal lines,
vertical lines, and three primary colors (red, yellow and blue)? Personally, I would think it
is absurd and that such a world exists only in our imagination. Yet, the twentieth century Dutch
artist, Piet Mondrian, told us through his writings, collected in The New Art -- The New Life,
that what we perceive with our eyes are deceiving. He said that the naturalistic world has veiled
us from the true reality. According to him, the reality lies behind the naturalistic world.
For this reason, he abandoned forms that resemble the natural world. He refused to paint anything
that look life-like (or realistic) and representational. Once he has discovered that he has been
deceived by the naturalistic world, he began his journey of abstraction. He evolved gradually
through his forms, abstracting from what he sees until only the "essence" is left. According
to Mondrian, this essence can be manifested through the use of two types of lines (horizontal
and vertical), the primary colors (red, yellow, and blue) and three different tones (white, gray,
and black).
Will you be curious on how he did it? Do you want to know more about Mondrian
by studying the process of his evolution? If you do, this webquest is for you.
 Next.
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